6 AM UPDATE: Winter storm Nemo to bring snow and sleet to Brooklyn

6 AM UPDATE: Winter storm Nemo to bring snow and sleet to Brooklyn

The city made preparations on Thursday for the nor’easter Nemo, expected to bring blizzard conditions to Brooklyn late Friday into Saturday. Photo by Mary Frost

By Mary Frost

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Updated 6:15 a.m. Friday

New York City issued a snow alert that began at 4 a.m. Friday, and blizzard warning for later in the day, in preparation for the Nor’easter named Nemo. The storm is expected to hit Brooklyn late Friday into Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service warns the storm will bring high winds, sleet and freezing rain, and snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches — upgraded by the city to 10 to 14 inches late Thursday — causing dangerous driving conditions and falling tree limbs.

The Nor’easter will be the result of two powerful storm systems colliding over the Northeast. Areas north of the city, such as Boston, will be hit even harder, with two feet of snow forecast.

The city’s Department of Sanitation’s is coordinating with the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Transportation on snow clearing planning. The agency says it is “loading our 365 salt spreaders, attaching plows when necessary, preparing tire chains and notifying supplementary personnel as needed.”

The Sanitation Department is following new rules passed by the City Council after the city’s inept blizzard response in December 2010 left many Brooklyn residents stranded for nearly a week.

After that blizzard, many streets in southern Brooklyn were left impassible, despite claims by city officials that all neighborhoods had been cleared. Thousands of children were forced to make a dangerous trek through snow and ice to get to school.

To help people track the progress of Department of Sanitation snow clearing operations, the city has created a new website – PlowNYC.

While the site won’t tell you exactly when the street in front of your house will be plowed, it will let you see your street’s priority, and see which streets have already been plowed.

Con Ed is coordinating with OEM as well. The company warns customers to take safety precautions and avoid any downed power lines caused by the expected gusts of wind up to 60 mph. Con Ed crews will give priority to “restoring service lines that will provide power to the most customers, then move on to restore smaller groups and individual customers who are without power,” the company said in a statement.

Alternate-side parking regulations will be suspended citywide on Friday, but payment at parking meters will remain in effect.

The Department of Buildings, is alerting property owners and contractors to secure their construction sites and buildings, and to call 3-1-1 if they see unsafe conditions.

A winter storm warning is in effect for most of New York state, with snow, sleet and freezing rain starting this afternoon and lasting into tomorrow morning, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. … Full Article